Electric-railway car-brake



(N0 Madel.)

W. M. SOHLESINGER.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY OAR BRAKE.

No. 378380. Patented Mar. 6, 1888.

Q av N I U I ATTORNEY N. PETERS. Pnnwumu n m wahinmm. I). c.

UNITED STATES PATENT Qrrrcn;

\VILLIAM M. SOHLESINGER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRiC-RAILWAY CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 378,980, dated March 6,1888.

Application filed August 26, 1887.

To aZZ whom, itwmy' 607206770:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. SCHLESIN- GER, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric-Railway Oar-Brakes, ofwhich the following is a specification.

Myinvention has relation to electrical braking appliances for that system of electrical railwayshaving an electricallypropelled car which is in circuit by way of a current-collector traveling with the car in contact with line-conductors located adjacent to the line of the track-rails.

Heretofore the electrical brakes for the cars in the above-described system of electrical railways have been operated either by the armature-current alone or by the line-current alone. By the armature-current is meant the current which is generated in it or in the motor after it is cut out of theline-circuit preparatory to applying the brakes, which current is generated by the momentum of the car revolving the armature of the motor and mo ment-arily converting it into a generator between the interval of applying the brakes and the time at which the car comes to a state of rest. By the line-current is meant the current fed. to the line-conductors from a generator located at a station'or stations along the line of way and which is conducted to the motors on the car by the current-collectors attached to and traveling with the cars. The use of either the armature or the line-current alone for operating the brake appliances, as heretofore done, is accompanied by respective advantages and disadvantages which in some respects are so nearly balanced that there is practically no decided advantage in using one or the other separately, except as hereinafter particularly noted. Thus in the use of the armature-current alone the following advantages are gained: First, 110 external energy-zl e. the line current-is spent or used in stopping the car; second, the car is not only stopped by the brake appliances, but also indirectly by the consumption of energy of the motor when acting as a generator for the time being; third, the slowing down of the speed of the car, due to these two reasons, is therefore very rapid but these advantages .Serial No. 247,976. (No model.)

are overbalauced by the disadvantage that after the car slows up the motor does not generate sufficient current to bring the car quickly to a full stop, esp'eciallyif it is upon agradethat is to say, from a high speed the car slows up quickly, but from a slow to a still slower speed for fully stopping the car the slowingup is so very gradual that the use of the armature-current for operating the brake appliances has heretofore been deemed impracticable, as its action is too slow upon a level and does not stop the cars up'ona grade. The use of the line-current alone, either for slowing down the speed of .the car or for bringing it to a full stop, has the disadvantage that it requires a large expenditure of outside energy or ofthe linecurrent; but in using it the brakes can be put on or applied as quickly as power is calculated for doing so, and can be kept on as long as desired to hold the car upon a grade as well as upon a level. scribed advantage that the use of line or supply currents for operating the electrical brake appliances of a car is most commonly employed or deemed the best available for the purpose.

It is obvious that if the electrically-actuating brake appliances of a car could be operated at will either by the armature-current or by the line-current, the former being used for quickly slowing up the speed of the car when this only is to be done without coming to a full stop,-and for doing so preparatory to successively using thelinecurrent to bring the car to a full stop when needful, an economical and effective electrically-actuated system of car-braking would be secured which would combine the advantages derived from using. either the armature or the line currents s1ngly, without being subject to either of their disadvantages.

To accomplish this described result is the object of my invention; and it consists, first, of a railway-car having electrically-actuated brake appliances, an electric motor, asupply circuit therefor, a switch and circuit-connections for cutting the electric motor out of and putting it in the line or supply circuit, and another switch and circuit-connections for first placing the armature of the motor in circuit with the brake appliances and the latter successively in circuit with the line or supply It is for this last-decircuit for the motor; and, second, to the combination, construction, and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

The accompanying drawing is a diagram, partly in perspective, of part of the runninggear of a car and its brake appliances, part of the electric motor or its armature therefor, contact-plow or current-collector, and part of the line-conductors, switches, and circuit-connections, includingresistances therein for regulating the consumption of power, embodying my invention.

A represents a pair of wheels for the running-gear of a car; B, the brake-shoes therefor, having lever or other connections, I), with the armature or core of an eleetro-magnet or solenoid, G, for operating said shoes, D, the armature for the electric motor for the car, the shaft of which is suitably geared to one of the axles of the rnnning-gear of the ear in the usual or other desired way; E, the currentcollector, in contact with a portion of a line of conductors, F F; and G, a switch for cutting the car-motor or its armature D out of and placing it in the line-circuit F F, or in a loop or branch therefrom, all of which may be constructed and arranged for operation relatively to one another upon the car in the usual manner or otherwise, as desired.

H represents another switch or regulator, composed of a pivoted lever, h, having at one end a contact-bridge, h, and at its opposite end two contact-bridges, h and h, all of which are suitably insulated from one another, as desired.

Oireumferentially arranged in relation to the center or pivot-point of lever h, and in line with its contact-bridge h, are two series of segmental plates or contacts, h and h and h and If, the plates h" and h being single plates, and the plates k and h consisting of a number or series of plates, as shown.

Between the plates If, in any suitable manner, are preferably located suitable resistances,

i, which resistances place said plates in circuit series with one another, and from each of the plates It leads a wire or connection, 1, to the respectively-located plate of the series of plates h to put any one of the plates If in series with the plates h and resistances 6. Consequcntlyno separate or additional resistances need be inserted in the circuit-connections for plates 7f. From the last or one of the end plates of the series of plates 76 leads a wire, 2, to one side of the solenoid or magnet G.

h and h and 71 and Zr represent other pairs of segmental contact-plates correspondingly located about the center or pivot-point of the lever 71, in line, respeetively,with the contactplates h and h on said lever. The plates it 71, h and h are single plates, as shown. llates h and h arein circuit with wire 3,1eading to the other side of the magnet or solenoid G. From plate h a wire, 4, leads to a binding-post, Z, and from plate h awire, 5, leads to a separate binding-post, Z. Plate h is connected by a ,wire, 6, to another binding-post, Z and plate h by wire 7 to a separate binding-post, Z.

From bindingposts Z and Z", respectively, lead wires 8 and 9 to the current collector wires 6 and c, and from binding-posts Zand Z, respectively, lead wires 10 and 11 to currenteollector wires 6 and e, or they may connect wit-h the wires 8 and 9, as shown. These wires 10 and 11 respectively include the fixed contact-plates g and g, suitably insulated, of the switch G. The circuit of thewires 10 and 11 is suitably closed or opened through switch G by pushing the movable contacts 9 and g into or out of contact with the plates 9 and g, respectively, in any suitable manner, either manually or otherwise. The lever h of regulator H is preferably provided with a retracting-spring, h", and a stop, h, whereby said spring normally acts to pull the lever over against the stop h and norniallyopen the circuit connections through the regulator, as shown in the drawing.

The operation is as follows: To propel the car or place its motor in a branch or loop circuit with the line-conductors F F by way of the currentcolleetor E, the movable contacts g of the switch G are pushed or placed in contact with the switch-plates g and 5/, respectively. This movement closes the circuit of the wires 10 and 11 to binding-posts Z and Z, and thence by way of wires 12 and 13, respectively, from said binding posts to the brushes d for armature D or the motor. The line-current must then necessarily pass to the motor or armature D by way of wires 12 and 13, as described, because the connections 7 and 4, leading from binding-posts Z and Z to the regulator H, are then open. To apply the brakes B at any time while the car is in motion, the movable contacts 1 9 are first pushed out of contact with the plates 9 g to open switch G, as shown in the drawing, and cut the motor or armature D-out of the line-circuit, whereupon the momentum of the ear converts the motor into a generator. The lever his then moved in the direction indicated by arrow at in the drawing to cause its plate h to bridge the contacts h and h and its plate It to bridge the contacts 71/ and h, whereupon the circuit of wires 12 and 13, including armature D, is completed by way of bindingposts Z Z, wires 7 and 4, plates h h h and Wit" and h, and wires 2 and 3,respectively,through solenoid or magnet C, which is then energized by the armature-current to apply the brakes and quickly slow the speed of the car from a high to a low speed. As the plate h of lever it passes over the successive plates h, the resistances t are successively cut out of the armature-circuit as the strength or intensity of its current diminishes by reason of the slowing down of the speed of the car, and when the plate h contacts with the end plate, h", to the right of the series of said plates in the drawing all of the resistances t are cut out of the armature-circuit, at which point the strength of the armature-current is weakest. This armature-current then may alone be used for slowing down the speed ofthe car; but if it is insuificient to actuate the brakes to stop the car the movement of lever h is continued in the direction above described until its plate It bridges the contacts h h and its plate It bridges the contacts h and h, whereupon the armature D is cut out of the circuit of magnet or solenoid O, and it is included in or is in a loop or branch from the line-conductors, which loop comprises wire 2, one of thewires 1, resistances *6, one of the plates If, plates h and h,

wire 6, binding-post Z ,wire 9, current-collector E, wire 8, binding-post Z, wire 5, plates h h h,and wire 3, whereupon theline-cu rrent from the conductors F F energizes the solenoid C to quickly slow. down the speed of the car from a slow to a still slower speed until it is brought to a state of rest, and is maintained in such a position,whether upon a level or upon a grade, 4

so long as the line-current is utilized for applying the brakes, as above described. To relieve the brakes the lever h of regulator H is let go of, whereupon its spring it reacts to return it to its normal position and cut the solenoid C out of the branch from the lineconductors. The switch G is then operated to place the motor or armature D in circuit with the current-collectorE, as first above described, to again start and propel the car. The resistances t' i serve, it will be noted, both for the armature and the line currents; hence the consumption of power is regulated as desired by moving the lever contact-plate h to successive plates h h of the series of the same in the well-known manner used for adjustable resistances, and the solenoid O is at all times protected.

I have shown and described my improvements in connection with an electrically-propelled car the motor of which is supplied by a line-current; but it is obvious that they are equally applicable to a car having a battery or generator located upon itfor supplying a current to the motor.

It is also obvious that the construction and the arrangement of the detail parts of the appliances com prising my invention may be-greatly varied without departing from the spirit of the same, and hence I do not limit myself to the construction and arrangement shown. Thus, for instance, many different forms of switches G, either simple make-and-break 10 13 and 12 ll,which includes switch G, leads to the supply or line circuit, or is a loop or branch therefrom, and said armature-circuit has a branch, 4 7, which is normally open and out changing the normal condition of the re maining circuits, and when out out, as above described, and by suitably moving the lever h of switch H, the circuit of the solenoid C may be closed through or shifted to the outside circuit 7 12 4 13 of the armature D alone, or successively to it and to the line-circuit or its loop or branch 5 8 6 9, whereby said solenoid may be energized only by the armaturecurrent when the motor is acting as a generator, or successively by thearmature-current and by the line or supply current.

The field-magnets d d for the armature D may be included in a branch from wires 10 and 11, or otherwise, as desired.

I do not herein claim the method for operating or applying electrically controlled or actuating brakes on an electrically-propelled car, consisting of first cutting the car-motor out'of the generator or supplycurrent circuit to convert said motor into a generator driven by the momentum of the car and then successively using the armature-current of the motor and the supply-current to successively actuate said brake appliances, nor to accomplishing such described result by successively using separate electric currents-one of a grad uall y-decreasin g intensity and volume and the other of a constant intensity and volumeas I reserve the same for the subject-matter of a method application for United States Letters Patent for same. 7

What I claim is I 1. The combination of a car or vehicle, an electric motor for propelling the car, a supply-circuitfor the motor, electrically-actuated brake appliances for the car, and electric regulating devices and circuit-connections for successively cutting the motor out of its supplycircuit, for including the brake appliances in the circuit of the motor-armature, and for including the brake appliances in the Supply circuit for the motor, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a car or vehicle, an electric motor for propelling the car, a supplycircuit for the motor, electrically-actuated brake appliances for the car, and electric regulating devices and circuit-connections having adjustable resistances and arranged for operation to successively cut the motor out of its supply-circuit-, for including the brake appliances in the circuit of the motor-armature, and for including the brake appliances in the supply-circuit for the motor, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of a car or vehicle, an

electric motor propelling the car,aline-circuit,

a traveling current-collector on the car in contact with the line-cireuit, eleetricallyeetuated brake appliances for the ear, and electric regulating devices for cutting out the motor from the line-circuit and for successively including the brake appliances in the armature-circuit of the motor and in the linecircuit or a loop therefrom, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of a car or vehicle, an electric motor, electi'icallynctuatetl brakes, a supply-circuit for said motor, a regulator, H, comprising contact-plates h h Wit, h h", and h h, pivoted lever 71, havinginsulated bridges h, 71?, and h, and circuit-connections between said plates and the brake appliances, the mo tor-armature, and the supply-circuit, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of a car or vehicle, an electric motor, elcctrieallyactuated brakes, a supply-circuit for said motor, and a regulator, H, com n'ising contact-plates h k", If h, IL it, and h h, pivoted lever 71, having insulated bridges hh h,and cireuit-connections, including resistances i, between said plates and the brake appliances, the motor-armature, and supply-circuit, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with a car having an electric motor, supply-circuit for the motor,and electrically-actuated brakes, of electric regulater and circuit-connections for cutting the motor out of its supply-circuit, for including the brake appliances in the circuit of the motor-armature, and for including said brake appliances in a loop or branch from said supplycircuit for quickly slowing the speed of the ear first by the armature-circuit of its motor, and for successively and quickly slowing down the speed of the car from a slow to a still slower speed until it stops by the supply or line current, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of a magnet or solenoid, 0, switch H, circuit-connections between said switch and magnet, an electric motor, a line or supply circuit including a cut out switch for the motor, and eircuit conncctions between the line or supply circuit and switch H, and between the latter and the armature of the motor, whereby a movement ofswitch-lever of: switch H. places the solenoid C successively in the armature-circuit and in the line circuit, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM M. SOI'I LERING lfllt.

\Vitnesses:

S. J. VAN S'lAVOREN, CHAS. F. VAN IIORN. 

